


Give My Regards With a Heavy Heart and a Light Touch

by ObliqueOptimism



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [11]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Not Beta Read, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24987529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObliqueOptimism/pseuds/ObliqueOptimism
Summary: Everyone knows that Klaus's power is to see the dead. Everyone also knows that Klaus can't conjure when he's high. Everyone knows that the Ben that Klaus sees is just a hallucination.Everyone but Klaus, that was.
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603255
Comments: 18
Kudos: 185





	Give My Regards With a Heavy Heart and a Light Touch

**Author's Note:**

> for bag things happen: hallucinations

Everyone knew how Klaus’s powers worked. He saw and spoke to ghosts, he had to conjure them, and he could only do that when he was sober.

But their brother had fallen hard into drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Or so the saying goes. How much actual rock and roll was up to debate but he did play an excellent guitar solo, even when high. Which he _always_ was. He was always fucked up in some way, often talking shit, most of it not making sense. Sure, it was grounded in reality, but it wasn’t reality.

His favorite drugs always made him hallucinate. Said it was more fun that, if he had to see things that no one else did at least he’d now have fun with it. He spoke of funny lights, diarrhetic hippos, Ben.

Ben.

Ben.

Ben.

He spoke of Ben.

Be it the drugs, a mental break, denial, the cause from the fact that normally he saw ghosts so he thinks he should see Ben.

All the different siblings had different ideas as to why Klaus may _think_ he sees Ben. Sometimes that opinion changes on the day, on the state they see Klaus in. If they find him barely able to stand, days without proper food, dragging him to a diner; if they got a call from a hospital and go there to support him as he wakes from _another_ OD and soon getting shipped to rehab, praying that this time it works; if they see him talking to the air as he walked down the street, a block down and they duck into the nearest business so that they don’t have to deal with him, speak to him, hear what he _thinks_ Ben is saying.

They have to deal with rude comments “from Ben” and wasted food and drink and more dirty dishes, a slight wonder if Ben _is_ around because what Klaus claimed he said sounded like-- What if Ben _is_ around but the drugs keep him away as they do all other ghosts and he has to watch Klaus hallucinate him? Why would Ben stick around for that? Why would Ben choose to be a ghost? By the time he passed it was clear Klaus never saw ghosts anymore, the chance of him getting sober for anyone-- Not even his brother--

They said hateful things sometimes.

They said nice things sometimes.

Most of the time they ignored it. Ignored Klaus when he spoke of “Ben”, ignored what “Ben” said, ignored--

But sometimes it was: “God Klaus! Shut up! Stop bringing Ben up! He isn’t here! He died. He died, Klaus. Grow up and get used to it.”

_“But he’s a ghost.”_

“He isn’t. He wouldn’t want to follow you around, why would he?”

But sometimes it was: _“Ben said I should come get help.”_

“Yeah? You should listen more to him then.”

_“He agrees with you, the prick.”_

“As he should.”

Years and years, instance after instance, they deal with Klaus thinking he can see Ben. Klaus never seems to question it, even when they tell him Ben isn’t real, Ben isn’t there, Ben is dead. During bad trips, he would call out for Ben to help, but Ben is dead and can’t help. During his comedowns, he would call out for Ben to help, but Ben is dead and can’t help. While they tell him that Ben is dead and can’t help, he would call out for Ben to help, _but Ben is dead and can’t help._

It was a fact of life.

Or unlife, if that’s how one would look at it.

Ben is dead.

Sure, Klaus sees the dead, but he doesn’t see the dead when he’s high.

Which he _always_ was.

Until the end of the world that is.

And then they see Ben too.

**Author's Note:**

> obliqueoptimism @ tumblr


End file.
